


Cold/Warm

by lucavale



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2013-10-24
Packaged: 2017-12-30 08:19:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1016290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucavale/pseuds/lucavale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Revisiting the Blade Drifts of Zopheir was a bad idea. Rita thinks she just might die in the cold if no one keeps her warm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold/Warm

How they ended up in the northern reaches of the world again, Rita didn’t know. Then again, she wasn’t really sure how they ended up going to ancient shrines and deserts and underwater. They were supposed to be chasing something, that’s what she was sure of, but sometimes Yuri was fond of getting off track and going to some place they’ve already visited and had no reason to come back to. Everyone agreed that it wouldn’t have been a bother had it not been for the time wasted and the gald spent unnecessarily. They should have been off saving the world, but here they were, at the Blade Drifts of Zopheir, wearing nothing extra and shivering to the core. Rita reminded herself again and again that she should knock some sense into everyone because revisiting the place was downright _ridiculous,_ especially given Estelle’s fragile condition and the pointlessness of it all. She swore she’d give Yuri the beating of his life once they get out of the place again, or else she’d-

“Achoo!”

Rita’s train of thought was jarred by her violent sneeze. Really, she couldn’t last a single more minute here. She was already missing the heat in the Sands of Kogorh, and she _detested_ that heat. She wrapped her arms around herself. Her body felt numb, and every breath produced a thick white puff. It felt as if frost clung to her very skin.

She looked at everyone else, but the others seemed fine. Even Raven – who had constantly complained about the climate when they arrived there for the first time – didn’t seem to be bothered overmuch by the cold.

“Achoo!”

She sneezed again. Estelle, who was walking beside her, stopped. “Are you okay, Rita?”

“I-I-I’m f-fine…” Rita replied, her teeth chattering. For the love of all that was holy, even _Estelle_ seemed okay. What was wrong with her?

“You don’t look fine to me,” Karol said.

“I agree with the kid. Ya look a little too cold in your skin,” Raven added.

“S-shut up! T-th-that’s because y-you’re all d-dressed more w-w-warmly than I am!” Rita retorted, followed by another sneeze.

“I dunno. Judith looks fine ta me,” Raven said, gesturing to Judith. Judith smiled warmly, looking like she was on the beach, basking in the sun. What _was_ wrong with Rita?

“J-just shut up! I-I don’t even k-k-know why we’re h-here in t-the first place!”

“I told you,” Yuri began, a little irritably, “I need to find some materials so I can get someone from Fortune’s Market to synthesize an accessory for Repede. Anyway, we’re not going to take too long. I’m just about done.”

Rita gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, before realizing too late that this was the wrong move. Sharp, cold air rushed into her lungs, and she descended into a fit of coughing, bending over and falling to her knees on the frosty ground. Everyone else had gone on already, except for Estelle who went down on her knees as well.

“Look, Rita, are you sure you’re okay?”

Whatever words Rita tried to say came out only as hacking, and basically cemented the idea that no, Rita wasn’t okay. No matter how much she wanted to say otherwise.

Estelle had started to fuss on her, helping her up and rubbing her arms. To be fair, Estelle _was_ warm, for some reason. And she was helping Rita warm up a little easier, but this came with a few… side-effects. The fussing and touching made her cheeks burn red and her heart beat faster, and she swore she could feel _sweat_ starting to come out of her pores. Estelle was naturally caring, but everyone believed that Estelle showed a little more extra special care to Rita, and this thought made the mage’s face turn a more vivid shade of red.

“Your hands are so cold,” Estelle had remarked, when she discovered Rita’s hands (partially?) frozen. The mage’s gloves didn’t help to warm her up more than her loose garments did, and Estelle’s hands closing on hers was a welcome relief from the numbness and the biting cold. She was so grateful, in fact, that it took a little while to register that Estelle – _Estelle –_ was holding her hands tight. For a different reason than Rita would have normally wanted, of course, but here was Estelle holding her hands (like she always wanted) and knowing that just made her blush even more. A different kind of warmth was starting to fuel Rita from the inside – the kind that she constantly tried to push out of her system but always failed to do so.

Estelle wasn’t privy to the thoughts running rampant inside Rita’s head, though, nor to the heart that was beating wildly in Rita’s chest. Instead, she looked at Rita, smiled, and said, “See? You’re warming up now. The color’s coming back to your face.”

“I-I… Yeah… Thanks…” Rita muttered.

“Now come on, Rita! They’re leaving us behind!”

They walked off, Estelle still holding Rita’s hands, and Rita’s face still violently red. She couldn’t break off because she wanted the feeling of Estelle’s hand in hers. Whoever dared to pass a knowing look around once they caught up with the rest would have to deal with Rita’s more powerful artes.

At the very least, she was warm and happier, now.

**Author's Note:**

> A quick little work that borders more on simple fluff than anything else. I'm kind of stuck when writing, and this isn't my best work, but it gets me going and I hope you've found this worth your while.


End file.
